Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

johnnyryan89

U21s player Jake O'Brien joins Swindon Town on loan while Alex Gilbert had his loan at Swindon cut short.

Harry Arter finds himself back at Nottingham Forest after Charlton cut short his loan.

Raoul

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118417613#Comment_118417613

Ah FFS. That's very disappointing.

whatawaster81

Awful luck for Kelleher. Rumours that Wolves have put a bid in for Doherty. Could be a great get out for him.

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418199#Comment_118418199

Can't seeing him dislodging Semedo at RWB.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419240#Comment_118419240

Suspect it's only gonna be a loan move and Wolves will be looking to add depth to the squad given they had games called off because of Covid. Plus you'd suspect Spurs are gonna have to cover a chunk of his wages.

Francie Barrett

Wolves spent £30m on Semedo, who by all accounts is doing well. Why would they be in for Doherty who is older and not as good?

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Doherty stayed where he is for the moment. His replacement, Emerson Royal is looking like he's really struggling with the pace of the Premier League. If Emerson doesn't improve, I wouldn't be surprised if Conte ended up holding onto Doherty, until the Summer at least.

Francie Barrett

Coventry's loan to Peterborough the latest to be cut short. Disappointing and not sure where he will go from here as I can't see another Championship team rolling the dice on him. I'd say he would be effective if he dropped down to League 1.

glenjamin

All these players struggling with loan moves at Championship and League 1 clubs need to move abroad. If Jack Byrne and Dan Crowley can make a go of it playing for mid to lower table clubs in the Eredivisie then the likes of Parrott, Coventry, Odubeko, Oko-Flex should be pushing for moves there.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118421107#Comment_118421107

Hopefully West Ham have plans to loan him out somewhere else after recalling him. Luckily for us there's a few other young players ahead of him in the pecking order so not as bad as when one the attackers has a poor loan spell or not getting game time.

https://twitter.com/JFallonExaminer/status/1478772064207183882

His teammate though seems to have patches things up and wants to play with the U21s.

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422653#Comment_118422653

He must have finally realised he wasn't good enough for England after his disastrous loan spell at Huddersfield.

MonkieSocks

Doherty starting for Spurs Tonight, wing back position

johnnyryan89

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/johnny-kenny-set-for-celtic-move-as-sligo-rovers-agree-lucrative-deal-worth-at-least-150000-41212382.html

Johnny Kenny turns down Hibs to sign with Celtic. €150k fee with add ons and a sell on clause. Talks that he could be loaned out to another Scottish club this month.

Ross Tierney gave an interview with Off the Ball where he was talking about his move to Motherwell and why he chose them. Said he had interest from other clubs in Scotland and England, who would have offered better money but would have been playing U23s.

Gusser09

Jimmy dunne going savage well at qpr currently. Starting in the middle of 3 centre defenders. Comfortable with the ball at his feet too.

Liverpools EFL game postponed. Good news for Kelleher.

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423123#Comment_118423123

That game being postponed likely means Kelleher got covid. Allison has it so if Kelleher got covid then they would be down to third choice and a lot more likely to ask for a postponement.

Gusser09

Doherty playing at left wing back. Interesting to see how he gets on. We wouldnt be flush in the position either.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423162#Comment_118423162

Rather not play than play with Adrian 🤣

Gusser09

Doherty off at half time. Tactical. Was doing well. Spurs gone to a back 4.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423737#Comment_118423737

Karius has played at the highest level. I don't see the problem 🤣

Quazzie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423737#Comment_118423737

So if Liverpool have a keeper fit why was the game called off?

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424355#Comment_118424355

First of all, we don’t know if he’s actually fit… some rumours saying he is, other rumours saying the whole collection of keepers - and keeping coaches - all have it.

Second, obviously you could have a keeper fit, but have enough cases elsewhere to cause postponement. Word is there are 14 new absences due to covid, on top of the already existing covid cases, and injuries.

The association has their pretty clear criteria on what calls for postponement, and on this occasion have obviously decided that Liverpool falls into that range.

<edit> just realised what thread we’re in… why the bejesus is this being brought up in the ireland thread?

The_Kew_Tour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423074#Comment_118423074

Rip Kenny. Another Irish career gone down drain

Dr. Bre

He will go out on loan from Celtic so hopefully plenty of game time

pjohnson

Middlesbrough set to sign Balogun on loan from Arsenal so Connolly will have competition for gametime.

The_Kew_Tour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118426316#Comment_118426316

Said same about O Connor, Connell and the others. Look how that turned out

The_Kew_Tour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118426702#Comment_118426702

Yes, I'm glad you agree they could have been handled better

Ferris_Bueller

I've developed an intense dislike towards Celtic over the past few years due to how much of a graveyard it has become for our young lads. I think O'Connor was a brilliant prospect, admittedly based on his underage performances but he was one I really thought would kick on and become a senior international player. Connell I didn't see much of but he had a lot of clubs after him, Celtic ended up being a disaster for him, probably the biggest disappointment of the lot considering he was playing championship football at such a young age. Afolabi more of a hopeful one but he was great in the u19s (?) euros just before he signed. Unfortunately I cannot see it going well for Kenny at all but hope he proves me wrong, not down to his ability at all just Celtic's track record.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430395#Comment_118430395

Why is that? What are they doing wrong there?

One would have thought the SPL would be a decent stepping stone, with the prospect of European football thrown in.

Francie Barrett

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428578#Comment_118428578

Connell looks more hindered by physical limitations than technical ability from what I've seen. He's short, he has no pace, he doesn't tackle, he is slight, he is not athletic. These attributes are huge handicaps and are things you almost rarely see combined in high level central midfielders. While the likes of Hoolahan would have ticked a lot of those boxes too, at least he compensated by being able to dribble, having unreal ball control, great movement, and the engine to get through 46 game English seasons. Kilkenny would be a bit similar, but while he's short and slight, he's clearly shown he has the physicality to play at a high level, has the intelligence to make blocks/interceptions, he also has that something about him where he is so comfortable on the ball, always able to find a bit of space, rarely loses possession and keeps things ticking over. So far, I haven't seen Connell show he has much in the locker other than an eye for a pass and a lovely left foot. I think this is borne at under-21 level for us as well. Kilkenny was always at the centre of things keeping us competitive in midfield, whereas large portions of the game bypassed Connell.

One final point. If lack of senior game time was really hindering Connell at Celtic, how is it that Kilkenny was able to come good this season for Bournemouth? Not only was he playing in an entirely new position this season; he had only played a single minute of league football in his entire career before that.

I really think that it's the case that good players will always find a way and unfortunately Connell just isn't at the level required, which is why he's at Queen's Park.

Francie Barrett

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/gavin-bazunu-reveals-manchester-citys-thoughts-on-portsmouth-stay-as-keepers-standing-soars-3516571

Bazunu staying put at Portsmouth. Interesting to see that Ronan Curtis may have had a part in bringing the Portsmouth manager together with Bazunu.

Francie Barrett

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/cyrus-christie-linked-with-move-abroad-after-fulham-manager-marco-silva-says-he-is-free-to-leave-41215693.html

Christie free to leave, linked with Serie A and La Liga clubs which would be a great move.

AhhHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430843#Comment_118430843

Always felt people were very harsh with Christie. It's not his fault O Neill put him in midfield bit he got the brunt of that result. He always looks to go forward and had an eye for goal. Think he'd suit a Kenny team and would florish on Italy.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431047#Comment_118431047

Hes just not very good. Below average. Cant fault his effort but not really up to it behind doherty or coleman. With the youngster from WBA looking good and hopefully making an approach to Jonjo Kenny he could be even further down the pecking order.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431047#Comment_118431047

Yeah I agree. He was decent enough when he was brought in after Coleman's leg break. Some players just get dogs abuse for no good reason. Glenn Whelan is another who imo was immense for us

Ferris_Bueller

Yeah Christie got a rough time but I thought he has generally done OK for us and is a fine third choice right back. Even those games he played in midfield, despite being some of the worst Ireland games I've ever watched, he wasn't our worst performer. I think he is a player that could do well in Italy.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430747#Comment_118430747

Since he moved to Celtic he's bulked up but it seems to have hindered him more than anything. Just looks awkward when he's trying to move around the pitch. When he was at Bolton he had no issues moving about and wasn't one to shy away from a tackle.

Kevin Kilbane talked with Curits Fleming about him when Mick brought him in to train as Fleming was a coach at Boro:

When asked by Kevin Kilbane what type of player Connell is, Fleming explained that the teenager is a dynamic midfielder who boasts an impressive physicality for his age.

“He's a good footballer but he puts his foot in as well. He’s a get on it [midfielder], he’s a sitter but he bombs on now and again too, but he gets it.”

One of his biggest talents though, according to Fleming is his passing range: “He has unbelievable spray. He can get it one side do a little shift and spray it 40-50 yards to the opposite side of the pitch.”

“The biggest thing for me was he smashed our right-back who is 6’4” and left a little bit on him and then got up and swaggered on. Not in a big-time way but just to say: ‘I’m not taking you pushing me around or kicking me’."

During the summer though with the U21s he looked to me at times like a duck waddling around the pitch and he played his first games with Bolton as LWB. Now he just has this awkward look about him since he bulked up after leaving Bolton.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431047#Comment_118431047

Funnily enough he did good in midfield for someone that never played there professionally and was better than whoever else played there during that Nations League campaign. At that stage MONs time had become toxic and Christie bore the brunt of it.

Francie Barrett

Ferguson not in the under 23 squad tonight suggests he'll be with the senior team tomorrow. May even get his senior team debut.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118435811#Comment_118435811

Will he play in The fa youth Cup i wonder? Brighton play city in a week or so in it.

Did you smash it

Any chance Ali Reghba gets a look in at leicester now that vardy is injured and Kelechi is at The afcon? Probably not.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118435990#Comment_118435990

Probably not, with Perez, Daka, and Lookman all still there too.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118435990#Comment_118435990

Chances are he'll be looking for a new club come the summer. Will be three years since he signed, assume he signed a three year deal and going by Transfermarkt he hasn't played for their U23s this season.

johnnyryan89

Middlesbrough down a few players due to covid and no Aaron Connolly in the match day squad. Would be his luck to get covid just before his debut.

Millwall and Palace are the early live game and Danny McNamara is starting.

AhhHere

McNamara played well imo

Mars Bar

https://twitter.com/ADSportsTV/status/1479826413343629318?t=zYCar74YRwUnfsuKRYqktg&s=19

Robbie being disrespectful in Dubai today

theoneeyedman

CR7 opens the scoring for West Brom v Brighton in the cup.

theoneeyedman

Wes Hoolahan pulling the strings for Cambridge as they lead Newcastle late on at St James's Pk

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439728#Comment_118439728

Balls.ie and Sportsjoe will now have a weekly article talking about it and calling him the next Robbie Keane.

He's a big aul unit for his age, and you wonder will they look to get him senior experience on a regular basis with a loan next season. Even if it's a only a six month loan at the start or end of season after he's turned 18.

https://twitter.com/KennysKids/status/1479858062232104964

johnnyryan89

Swansea Vs Southampton is live on BBC Wales at half five and Obafemi starts against his old club. Will be interesting to see how he gets on and he'll surely have something to prove. Manning also starts at LWB with Shane Long on the bench.

Smallbone unfortunately is still out injured with a calf injury he's picked up. Has probably spent more time injured in his two and half seasons with the first team.

~Rebel~

Obafemi playing wing forward with Piroe centre forward. It's a position I've wanted to see him in more anyway, think it suits his attributes, and would suit us too - same sort of role as Ogbene.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440067#Comment_118440067

BBC Wales just stopped working for me for some reason after the first goal. Interesting quote from the commentator about how poor Swansea have become since Manning was moved out of CB, and going by that first it's not hard to see because they were very sloppy.